The WWII thread got me wondering how many members have military service or a history of service?

My paternal Grandfather served in the Army Air Corps prior to WWII. He worked in a steel mill so was exempt during the war.

My Father served in the Air Force (stationed in Greece) in the late 50s.

Both my brother and I served in the Air Force during the Gulf War.

My maternal Grandmother's family is in the Book of Souls for the work they did helping Jews escape during WWII. They had a farm outside of Dachau Prison.

Both my wife's grandfathers were exempt (Farmer, Doctor).

My FIL was in the Army during the Vietnam war (Stationed in Okinawa)

My BIL served in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan.

Their family, being in the midwest, has lots of service in the Big Red 1.

We just found out my son is slightly color blind (like his Marine-Uncle) so chances of him continuing the trend are greatly diminished.

Army '71 and '72, draftee. My father, although I never knew him (met him once as a teenager) was a Marine. My uncle was also a Marine.

Peacetime, Navy '78-'84 on a submarine.
Dad was in Korea.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark60,

Great Great Grand dad was a blacksmith for the Union Army
Great Uncle fought in WW1
Great Uncle fought in WW2
Cousin (mom side) WW2 (RCAF shot down over the Channel died)
Dad WW2 AAF
Cousin Viet Nam - Army
Cousin Viet Nam - AF

Me, none, just the Public Defenders office.

Gen. James Wolfe, Battle of Quebec 1759; father, 2 uncles in WWII (one didn't come home); Uncle in Korea/Vietnam; son in IL Air Guard several Gulf deployments; daughter Reg Army, Gulf deployment; me, 2 tours of Afghanistan with my DoD Combat Support Agency.

Grandfather: Army WWI
Father: Army Air corps WWII
Uncle: Army Air Corps WWII
Brother: Marine Vietnam
Me: Army stateside

Jim

I am only aware of one family member who was in the military.

My grandfather was a chemical engineer and was in the Navy during World War II.

My understanding is that he was stationed at a facility for storing (and possibly producing?) chemical weapons in California during the War.

I don't think he was ever in a combat zone, but I never heard him talk about his service and I only found out about it after he died.

It isn't exactly military service, but my understanding is that my other grandfather, who was a commercial pilot, flew in the Berlin airlift.

My maternal uncle - USMC - KIA Iwo Jima - WWII

My father - USMC - Guadalcanal - WWII

My brother - USMC - Stateside

Me - USMC - Peacetime - Stateside one year, Okinawa and far east three years

I have limited family history as it relates to military service, however my dad served in WWII and I served in the USAF '61-'65.

Me - Army Vietnam War - Okinawa
Father - Army WWII Panama
Father In Law - Army WWII POW Germany

Maternal Grandfather -- Army WWI (war ended before he was shipped over)

Paternal Grandfather -- built subchasers in WWII

Maternal Great Aunt -- Marine Corps Sergeant, WWII

Dad -- Navy, Korean War; on a minesweeper clearing Pusan harbor, later had a patrol boat; also career Navy civilian oceanographer

Me -- USCGR

My mother is big into genealogy and has found ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War (both sides)

We have a lot of family service in the military. Most likely because of timing of wars and the fact that I come from a very large family.

Paternal side:

Grandfather served in France in WW I. Spoke fluent German and was held back in Europe as a translator when his unit transferred back to the U.S.

Father and all his brothers of age served during WW II but none saw combat.

Maternal side:

Grandfather was too old to serve in WW I or II.

Mom's brothers all served in WW II. One saw combat in Europe in the 3rd Army under Patton, one saw combat in the Pacific and contracted malaria, which plagued him the rest of his life.

One aunt married a WW I vet who served in the German Army and emigrated to the U.S. after the war.

My Generation:

I served 7 years in the Army. Was in during the Gulf War era but did not deploy.

2 sisters served in the Army during peacetime in the 70s and 80s. One married an Army officer who retired as a LTC.

2 brothers served in the reserves during the Vietnam era but did not deploy. One brother in law served in the Marine Corps and deployed to Vietnam.

Next Generation:

Both of our sons sought military service. Our older son was in AFROTC but died in a motorcycle accident prior to getting his commission. Our younger son enlisted in the Navy, has served as an electronics technician on the USS George HW Bush for 3 years, and has just been selected for OCS.

Two nephews have served. One in the Army during the 90s, and one in the Air Force in the 2000s. He deployed to Irag but did not see combat.

I don't really know the details, but I had several uncles serving in WWII; my dad worked in war industries. I, myself, served 20 years in USAF 1960-1980--the first 15 years as an officer in charge of ground electronics maintenance and the last 5 as an NCO doing COBOL computer programming (long story). I never saw combat but served in Labrador, Johnston Island, Iran, and Germany, plus a number of places in CONUS.

flashguy

Grandfather (paternal) - Royal Navy WWI, stoker on
minesweeper

Grandfather (maternal) - Army WWI Captain and that's all I know

Great Uncle - Private soldier WWI, MIA - remembered on the Menin Gate - I have his details somewhere

Uncle - Captain in Royal Marines WWII, landed D Day +2 and fought across NW Europe, ended up in Kiel in 1945

Father - drafted after WWII - home service in Pay Corps, recalled for Korea.

Me - Royal Marine Reserve. Nothing worth mentioning.

My maternal grandfather: US Army, WWII
My Dad's uncle (who raised him): USMC, WWII
My Dad: US Army 1964-1966
Me: US Army 1991-1995, PA Air National Guard 2002 -2008

ETA: My stepmother had an ancestor (a Moriarty, her family name) who fought at Gettysburg with the Union Army. That's really cool to know, you can look his name up at Gettysburg.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PASig,

Mother's father - Swedish Army
Father - Fore River Naval Shipyard during WWII
Me - US Naval Reserve, Chief Engineer US Merchant Marine

2 uncles served in WW1, they were sent to England , stayed there until the war was over.

5 cousins in WW2(my mother’s nephews), 2 did not come back.

2 cousins in Navy during Korea, they never left their ship.

My father was too young for WW1, too old for WW2, never was in the service.

I joined Texas NG in 1961, stayed in 16 years, was a 1SG.

My Grandfather served in the Army during WW1 in Europe
My Father served in the Army during WW2 in the South Pacific
I served in the Navy during Vietnam in the Gulf

I'd like to thank all of you for your service.
I only made it through basic. Came home on 1 week leave and totaled a friend's motorcycle. Medical discharge after failing the physical at MEPS.

Dad, Korea. Ended up state side though. He ended up having a medical discharge. He was always disappointed he wasn’t able to go over seas and serve with his buddies.

During WWII he was too young to join so he volunteered for submarine watches on the MS River in New Orleans. I have a framed certificate for his “service”, pretty cool.